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Sunday, April 27, 2014

The bus trip from Las Vegas to Bakersfield
was fairly ordinary. I had some lebensraum in the back row of the
bus until we hit Barstow.
While there I grabbed some lunch from a Panda Express:
chicken egg rolls, eggplant tofu, and way more chow mein than I
cared to eat.

From left: The view from the rear of the
bus; lunch from the Barstow Panda Express.

After Barstow I shared my trio of seats in the rear with a young
couple. While closer to the front some selfish old wimmin' hogged
the table seats.

At Bakersfield I traded in the bus for a shiny locomotive, and a
solo seat all to myself at the frontmost passenger car. Feeling
parched I scored the first adult beverage served, and savored my
gin and tonic as the queue for food and drink quickly lengthened.

Four hours later I arrived into the bustle of Stockton
station, a hub for many buses offering connections across the San
Joaquin valley, including my schedule to Sacramento.
This bus too filled up but I was able to enjoy some space all the
way in the back.

It was coming on ten o’clock in the evening by the time I was
able to check into a room at the Holiday
Inn Sacramento-Capitol Plaza. I hadn’t eaten since Barstow
and was eager to seek out a meal. And I found that meal a
half-mile east at Pizza
Rock.

While I waited on my pizza, I quaffed a 22 oz. glass of Total
Domination IPA from Ninkasi Brewing of
Eugene, Oregon. Expected IPA bitterness, light frothy head, smooth
drinking.

What was laid before me was a topping Goliath, with a thick,
gluteny rind. The Italian sausage was tender, well seasoned;
vegetables were crisp. Overall a superior build and a fun pie to
dig in to.

After a quick caffeine fix at nearby Broadacre Coffee, I gave
away the leftovers of my delightful pizza to a grateful passerby.
Wandering down J St., some signage on a side street brought to a
bar. Not a trendy nightclub, but an actual bar. Move even to be
considered a dive. I settled in with a Jim Beam,
grateful to find a watering hole worth revisiting. A gaggle of
hipsters dislodged me from my reverie.

From left: A late night espresso at
Broadacre Coffee; a new watering hole found; It burns! It
burns!

Shuffling back out into the night I decided it was time to retire
to my hotel room before I did something regrettable, like embracing Scientology, or soiling
my pants.